If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Took me several hours to watch the episode since I kept zoning out and had to re-watch it closely. Well it's finally time for the Grand Festival to proceed with the next rounds! I love how things have shaped up recently for the Sinnoh Grand Festival so I had hoped that this episode wasn't an utter disappointment. From the look of things, I can say I'm satisfied with how this whole tournament has been handled so far. Much better that the Hoenn and Kanto Grand Festivals by far. Here we got then. Things started off with the review of Dawn's, Zoey's, Nando's, and Jessie's victories in the previous episode. I thought that was a nice touch since I don't remember much about the previous episode myself and maybe some kids didn't either.

Jessie won her battle at the start of the episode which I found refreshing considering how often she loses her Pokemon Contest battles haha. James seemed really glad Mime Jr. and Carnivine did so well though Jessie got a bit too cocky after the battle when she asked to be given the trophy and was scolded by Fantina haha. After yet another review (like the 50th one) we get the match ups for the semi-finals and as luck would have it, Nando has to fight Zoey while Dawn has to fight Jessie. Seems like a reasonable match up in my opinion, at least the last one since Jessie has battled Dawn before a few times in random battles. We saw a quick clip of Johanna watching the Grand Fesival which I thought was nice of her to do.

The night before the semi-finals it looked like Dawn had a lot of stuff on her mind as she was day-dreaming but Ash and Brock came to wake her up, so to speak. After some inspirational talk from non other than Brock and Ash, Dawn seemed motivated to make it to the Top 2 for the next round. Some weirdo was playing a harp in the middle of the night, though it turned out to be Nando. I liked that the wild Pokemon gathered around him like that though; it shows he has a pleasant aura around him. After a brief conversation with Nando, Zoey appeared because she couldn't sleep. Typical. Although we all know she couldn't sleep without saying goodnight to Dawn lol. As for Team Rocket, it seems they made quite a profit out of Jessie and they went ahead and made more merchandise lol.

The next day, the semi-finals begin. Fantina gives everyone a motivational speech and then the announcer lady goes over the rules for all the dummies out there. The battle finally starts and Zoey sent out her Leafeon and her new Mismagius which seemed to have evolved from her Misdreavus. Then, even though Ash, Brock, and Dawn speculated that Nando would use some sort of song-related Pokemon, he sends out Lopunny along with Kricketune despite the former not being able to use Sing. Weird. Zoey's Leafeon and Mismagius fire the first fusion move with Energy Ball and Thunder Wave and I must admit, it was a cool idea for Zoey to use. It even cost Nando points before it hit! Thankfully, Lopunny High-Jump Kicked the fusion move to the ceiling to avoid getting blasted by the hit. Nice work there Nando; at least he’s smart about things.

Nando's next move left my mouth wide open; Kricketune using Bug Buzz and then Lopunny using the streamers like ribbons while it pranced around like a ballerina; that was awesome! It was like watching a musician and a dancer work in perfect synchronization. The fusion move from earlier came at Kricketune however it managed to blow it up and made a dazzling display of color that cost Zoey more points! Zoey counter-attacked quickly though, coming up with a Double Team chain made up of Mismagius and Leafeon which, like Nando's move, showed off more of that synchronization. Zoey then turned the tables on Lopunny's Blizzard and dazzled everyone with the glow from the attack. I gotta admit though, Zoey has some groovy style underneath her tough exterior.

Nando counter-attacked with a ring of Sing; literally. I loved the special digital effects in Contests for this reason. Zoey's Mismagius then used Lucky Chant to counter Kricketune's Sing which was truly unexpected. It seems like Zoey knows something about music lol. Zoey's Leafeon used Leaf Blade and I was surprised to see it cut through Lopunny's Focus Blast and land a direct hit on Lopunny. Nando then had his Kricketune use X-Scissor while Mismagius used Psywave and I thought they'd clash for sure but Lopunny helped get Kricketune out of there fast. Kricketune and Leafeon clashed a few times and after several more clashes, Nando stepped things up another notch with Silver Wind and Blizzard from Kricketune and Lopunny, repsectively.

The result of Silver Wind and Blizzard was such a beautiful fusion; it created snowflakes all around the arena! I love Nando's creativity. Zoey showed off her own creative side by using Psywave to give her Leafeon some angel-like wings, allowing the Pokemon to fly which isn't normally possible. Fantina loved it and even Dawn seemed to be in awe of Zoey. The battled ended pretty quickly though, just when things were getting serious as the time ran out. Zoey advanced to the next round why was kind of annoying since I wanted Nando to win this round. Nando and Zoey congratulated each other and then Dawn and Zoey had an interesting "telepathic" moment as Dawn headed on towards the stage for her own battle. I just thought that was the moment romantic moment yet haha.

It was then time for the final semi-final battle which would pit Dawn against Jessie though of course, Jessie was disguised as "Jesselina" or whatever her name is in the dub. It seemed like a bad time for this battle though in my opinion since the episode was almost over. Dawn sent out Buneary and Cyndaquil and while the battle began, we saw Johanna once again watching the Grand Festival battle between her daughter and Jessie. After some random hits from both Dawn and Jessie, it seems that Dawn came out on top. I hate that. Not that Dawn won, but that her battle with Jessie was rushed! Jessie did so good in Sinnoh, she deserved a fair fight in her own episode! Jessie seemed mad but at least she was a good sport about it haha. The ending with Dawn and Zoey getting ready to face off was exciting. Overall, this episode didn't disappoint too much, until the end. 9/10, still pretty awesome.

We're roughly halfway through this festival, & I'm already wishing that it would be over... maybe I'm still delusional from the Sunyshore incident.

Anyhow... The fight between Nando & Zoey is nothing short of a fight for the ages; most of these combinations that they pulled out are true spectacles, & if those don't get you to gouge your eyes out, you're most likely blind already...

Even so, Nando lost this one to Zoey, so now we go to Dawn, who has completely wiped the floor with Jesselina. But damn, her reaction to the loss was nothing short of appaling. I at first thought that it was time to put a bullet into her skull. Far be it from me to think that she would actually be on her side so that Dawn will win...

Still, the fact that Jesselina got X-ed out was the first piece of good news I've ever gotten. Now I can put my sniper rifle away & watch the finals in peace...

What made this episode great for me in the japanese version is that on top of the great battle that Nando vs. Zoey was it was also the music that made it stand out. Sure the dub kept a piece of the japanese music in the battle but it didn't last for long. To be honest I was more excited watching the japanese version than I was watching the dub. Maybe cuz I already saw what happened.

On Nov 21, 2010, I'm going on vacation. I'm going to a country to visit two friends and a grumpy oldtimer who are awaiting my return.

Enjoyed the episode I agree Nando vs Zoey was epic and although Dawn bear Jessie I feel shes been a bit lucky getting as far as she has(Dawn I mean). I still think Zoey will win though because they will need to keep Dawn to travel with Ash till the Sinnoh league
And I also agree the Jessie/Dawn battle was a bit meh compaired to nando/Zoey and wouldnt the people in the audience notice the team rocket uniforms?. Anyway looking forward to the final though

Hooray to see Leafeon once again. Last time we didn't get much action from it and it looks like this episode will fill in the gap. We also got a new Pokemon on Zoeys team as well; her Misdreavus has evolved into Misdreavus.

Nando makes a good impression at the start of the battle. Way to use that Energy Ball/Thunderwave for a later use to show off his skills and that dancer/musician reference is an excellent example of music artistry. Even though I don't like his music much he did get my attention.

Zoey counter acts using a double Double Team to get back into the stage, which tricked Nando into losing himself some points. She progresses it even further by countering Nandos Kricketunes Sing with Lucky Chant. This part got me a bit confused. I didn't know Lucky Chant can deflect moves like Sing.

At this point, the battle becomes tense as both Nando and Zoey are neck to neck. Each of their Attacks correspond each other making it what looks like a never ending battle. Heck, even I wished this battle would never end.

As time runs out, Nando comes in with a Silver Wind/Blizzard attack combo, creating a field of icy snowflakes. I'm starting to wonder that Silver Wind is some sort of a special wild card that can enhancing any kind of elemental type that it comes in contact with.

Zoey brings out the best by performing an Arial Ace/Psywave combo which gave Leafeon brilliant wings of energy. I was awe strucked and mesmerized. Very nice.

As the moves collided by Leafeon and Kricketune, it created a dramatic scene which gave it that showstopper feeling atmosphere, as if an epic story plot has ended.

Time running out, Zoey came on top with a few points ahead of Nando, making her the winner and moving on to the Finals.

The battle between Dawn and Jessie wasn't much of a battle at all. There wasn't much action screen time either so there's really not much to say about it. Although that last part when Jessie was raging over her loss, I thought we were about to see an all out cat fight. How interesting this would have been to see, really. Too bad.

Setting Dawn and Jessie scene aside, this was certainly a 'magnific' battle performance. Excellent work. But the battle with Dawn and Jessie could have gone a lot better if they added more time to it.

The battle between Nando and Zoey was great. Nando's battling, technique, and improvisations were more impressive, and should have won imo.

Jessie reaching the semifinals and finishing off as Top 4 must be one of the biggest upset in contest history. I'm not denying that she's a good coordinator, but I don't think her skills as a coordinator is that top notch that the writers had to give her the Top 4 position - even after getting a pity ribbon. Or maybe that tells us another story: D/P contest arc just hadn't created enough formidable and competitive rivals, so obviously if not for Jessie there would have been shortcomings of familiar faces in the the semifinals.

This episode was very cool. Nando vs Zoey was a really cool and intense Semi-Final battle. It was strange as to how short Dawn's Semi-Final round was vs Jessie. It was great that it ends up that Zoey kept her promise, and will be facing Dawn in the Finals. I'm glad Dawn very easily defeated Jessie in the Semi-Finals. It was cool to see Leafeon again, in the Semi-Finals. It was very unique how Zoey had her Pokemon stop Sing with Lucky Chant. The Aerial Ace-Psywave combo giving Leafeon wings was the best move I've ever seen.

† I am a Christian and proud of it! Copy and paste this if you are too.†

If you enjoy poetry, check out this book by rising author, and good friend, James W. A. "In the Library" is told in an epic narrative format and contains dark thematic material that teaches multiple lessons about pain, coping, madness, and the human condition. Check it out at thejameswa.com !

Awesome episode! Totally action-packed and really fun to watch, couldn't take my eyes off it. Zoey and Nando's battle was totally awesome, even though I knew the outcome I honestly thought Nando could've won. Dawn versus Jessie seemed to be pretty short but it was still fun. Can't wait to see Dawn vs. Zoey in the finals!

I for one didn't find the Nando/Zoey battle to be that exciting. I guess I zoned out when Zoey cam on the screen though. I tend to so that with boring characters. It's a shame that Dawn's battle against Jessie was cut though. That's the one that needed to take up most of the episode. Not a battle with two characters who I don't care for.

Fighting for real American turtles everywhere. Pro-Turtle since 6/30/13

Well, it wasn't surprising that Jessie didn't get to the finals, but at least she got to the top four. It is surprising that Jessie managed to get through the whole region without being recognized (her unofficial contest with aipom doesn't count). I like her controlled fury when she tells Dawn to beat Zoey, that was cool and unexpected.

As many others have said, Zoey vs Nando was truly a spectacle. I really thought that Nando should have won, but overall it was an awesome contest battle from both of them. I kinda wished that Dawn vs Jessie had its own separate episode though, because their battle felted too rushed, and especially since Jessie made it to the Top 4 (upset of the century), I felt that this was a battle that deserved to be drawn out. Overall a good episode though

I'll give this episode a 6.5/10. Really why they're rushing the round that we don't get to see. I want to see more of Nando and Zoey putting their skills put to the test. Really skipping round are one of the most annoying things that this GF is doing right now. I love the battle with Nando and Zoey, but if they showed them facing more trainer then I would say it was really awesome. Dawn and Jessie batte could have been a sepreat episode to show how far Jessie had come as a Pokemon C. I still feel nothing for Zoey and Dawn.